Speaking on the sidelines of the signing of an agreement on mutual legal and judicial assistance in criminal matters between Angola and Switzerland, Hélder Pitta Grós explained that there are values "that are currently being held captive abroad," adding that the sums involved are more than a billion dollars.
"There are values that at this moment are captive abroad. More than a billion dollars are captive abroad to the order of Angola, but the necessary legal procedures are still being followed so that the amount is available to the Angolan government," he said, speaking to Rádio Nacional de Angola (RNA).
The PGR also said that the agreement will allow for a change in what had been done willingly: "From now on, what was done willingly and out of solidarity will have a legal basis to continue to be done in a more efficient way.
Hélder Pitta Grós also said that based on the agreement with Switzerland it will be possible "to have access to much more information from other countries".
The PGR also admitted that the agreement signed this Monday with the Swiss ambassador in Angola, Nicolas Herbert Lang, should also respond to the need to recover assets linked to the São Vicente case.
Carlos de São Vicente, owner of the AAA group of companies, one of the largest private conglomerates in Angola, and holder for several years of Sonangol's insurance and reinsurance monopoly, was formally charged with the crimes of embezzlement, money laundering and tax fraud, having been notified of the indictment on March 17.
High sums of money of this businessman, deposited in Swiss banks, were frozen at the request of the Angolan authorities.
The instrument of mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, Hélder Pitta Grós said, includes a wide range of cooperation, namely notifications of judicial acts, collection of documents and witnesses, searches, seizures and freezing of assets.
The Swiss ambassador in Angola said that Switzerland wants to return to Angola the millions of dollars that were unduly deposited in that country: "This money has to be, in the end, returned to the Angolan people," he said, also speaking to RNA.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, admitted the possibility of the country entering into agreements similar to this one with other countries, with a view to recovering assets unduly deposited in accounts abroad.
